Uconn

Huskies' Phillips hopes to be ready for Michigan Saturday BY ED DAIGNEAULT REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

UConn athletic director Warde Manuel watches the final minutes of the Huskies' loss to Maryland. UConn has added remporary bleachers (upper right) at Rentschler Field for Saturday night's game against Michigtan. (Lee Lewis/RA)

STORRS — Shakim Phillips caught 10 passes for 178 yards Saturday against Maryland to become one of the few bright spots in defeat. The last reception was a 75-yarder for a touchdown.

Phillips also happened to need help leaving the field after that. UConn's slim chances of beating Michigan on Saturday looked to be much slimmer with Phillips hobbling off the field.

The Boston College transfer is confident he'll take the field against the Wolverines, however.

"I feel good," said Phillips, who tweaked a hamstring that has been giving him problems. "I think I will be (able to play). ... It feels a lot better than it did on Saturday. I am just doing rehab three times a day trying to get back as fast as possible.

"I am able to move a lot better. It wasn't really bad, bad where I couldn't walk, but I did need some help getting off the field."

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni lists Phillips as questionable. The same is true for right tackle Kevin Friend and linebacker Graham Stewart.

Phillips and fellow receiver Geremy Davis have proved vital through two games. With UConn's running game ranked 122nd of 123 FBS teams, the Huskies' only offense has come through the air. UConn has amassed 664 yards of offense with Phillips and Davis catching a combined 25 passes for 409 yards.

UConn desperately needs Phillips and Friend healthy. Friend has had a tough time of it so far, missing the opener with a concussion and then having his ankle rolled on against Maryland. Friend went out of the game for a time, returned briefly but then sat out the remainder of the game.

Redshirt sophomore Xavier Hemingway started against Towson and relieved Friend against Maryland, but his inexperience has certainly shown.

"I was so psyched for the game," Friend said. "The adrenaline was rushing and I was doing pretty good and it happening early in the first quarter, too, I was so frustrated. I felt awful watching my team knowing that they need me out there. It is disappointing, I am a competitor and I want to compete."

Friend, who has a high ankle sprain, stopped short of saying he will be ready to play Saturday. High ankle sprains typically come with long recovery periods. Pasqualoni said redshirt sophomore Dalton Gifford has been working into the tackle rotation at practice in case Friend can't play and Hemingway is ineffective.

One-quarter game: If UConn could somehow bottle the first quarter of games and use that elixir for the entire game, things might not be as bad.

UConn has outscored its two opponents 14-7 in the opening 15 minutes and the yardage is even, 213-212 in favor of the opponents. However, the Huskies have been outscored 58-25 in the following three quarters and have been outgained 781-458 in that time.

Not coincidentally, the Huskies have mostly avoided giving up big plays in the first 15 minutes.

"We shouldn't have had those plays," Pasqualoni said. "It just shouldn't happen. That's what we keep working toward. We don't like when it happens but I'm still optimistic it's not going to happen again. I guess that's my problem. I can understand the reality that it happens but in my heart I believe it's not going to happen again."

Towson's biggest first-quarter plays were a pair of 23-yard gains. Maryland's biggest plays were 26- and 36-yard passes to Stefon Diggs, neither of which wound up costing the Huskies points.

Temporarily bigger house: Rentschler Field is a long way from being Michigan's Big House as in almost 70,000 seats shy but it will at least be a bit bigger Saturday.

UConn brought in temporary bleachers that will seat about 2,200 additional people.

The bleachers were put in place in the north end zone, next to the large scoreboard, prior to last week's game against Maryland. A smattering of fans tested out the new seats for that game.

Tickets for the Michigan game were available Monday but the school announced an official sellout Tuesday morning. UConn officials expect the largest crowd in Rentschler's 10-year history.

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